Brothers Forever
by KaibaGirl17
Summary: A series of one-shots all set before, during, and after the series, all starring everyone's favorite trio of brothers: the Arclights. "I used to have a doll when I was a little girl," the woman told him as she led him to the kitchen. "He wore the same thing you have on right now. Right down to the gloves and the hat."
1. St Patrick's Day

A/N: Hello, fellow authors and or fellow fanfiction enthusiasts. Let me begin by saying that each of these chapters are set in different times, some will even be linked together as a continuing story, so there will be advance notice of whether or not it is set during canon, post-series, pre-series, or even AUs.

If you or someone you know have any requests, do not hesitate to shoot a PM to me. However, I must set a little ground rule: I do not write yaoi, yuri, incest, or any combination of the three, so please refrain from requesting for any material regarding any of the previously mentioned.

That being said, I will now begin the first chapter. This is set pre-canon. Enjoy and please do review, but also refrain from flaming, please and thank you.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

Christopher Arclight was sitting at the desk in his room, looking over some calculations his father had tasked him with earlier that morning before he left for work. Chris was soon going to start going with him, which was why he was working on these calculations today. His father, Byron Arclight, and the man his father worked with, a man known as Dr. Faker, had been working on a project concerning these calculations for as long as Chris had met his father's research partner.

Soon, he would begin searching for whatever it was they were looking for. His only regret was that he would have to leave his little brothers. Thomas and Michael were now eleven and nine respectively, but even still they would not take to their older brother's absence too lightly. They both looked up to Chris, almost as much as they looked up to their father.

"Ow! Chris!" he heard Michael yelp.

"Oh, stop being such a baby!" Thomas snorted.

Michael yelped again.

A second later, Chris's bedroom door flew open and in raced two little boys. The smallest of the two, a nine-year-old who was so tiny that he could have been mistaken for a six-year-old, dove onto Chris's bed.

"Chris, help!" he squealed, trying to shield himself with a pillow.

"Ooh, a pillow," Thomas rolled his eyes, "That's _really_ going to protect you."

"Thomas," Chris's voice sounded stern as he looked up from his work. "What are you doing?"

"He's pinching me!" Michael piped up.

"He was asking me, smarty," Thomas picked up another pillow and hit Michael in the head, knocking the pinknette against the wall.

"Thomas," Chris's tone grew sterner as did his gaze. "Stop it."

"I was just playing," Thomas pouted, folding his arms over the pillow.

"Then explain why your idea of playing involves pinching Michael," Chris was used to his brother's antics by now. Thomas was by far the most mischievous of the three. Their father often said that he would one day grow out of it, but Chris had his doubts about that. Thomas was eleven and nearly a teenager; if he hadn't grown out of it by this point, there wasn't much of a chance of that happening now.

"It's St. Patrick's Day," Thomas shrugged. "And Michael wasn't wearing anything green."

"So, because he wasn't wearing green, you decided to pinch him?" Chris didn't even know why he bothered asking when he already knew the answer.

"Yes!" Thomas said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Everyone knows if you don't wear green on St. Patrick's Day, you get pinched."

Chris grinned slightly.

"In that case," the eldest Arclight brother's voice trailed off.

That's when it dawned on Thomas that he wasn't wearing green either.

"Oh no, you don't!" the middle brother whooped, jumping off the bed and running from the room. "You're not gonna get me!"

Chris nodded to Michael, who giggled, and the two brothers raced after Thomas.

Chris knew he would need to get back to work, but just a short time playing with his brothers wouldn't hurt. Of course, that wasn't to say Thomas would enjoy being pinched...

...

...

So, how was it? Let me know. And happy St. Patrick's Day.

The next chapter will be out on Saturday, April 4th.


	2. April Fool's Day

A/N: Hello, everyone. Okay, let me start by saying I know I said I would update on the fourth, but I got a request from FoxLover96 to do an April Fool's Day chapter and here it is. Thank you to Mtvlion2003, FoxLover96, De hearts 26, Lee-Lee2306, theabridgedkuriboh, Zexalloverforevs, Anonymous, Ariette5, Durbe the Barian, and Akiza Blackmore for all of the reviews on the first chapter. Enjoy and Happy April Fool's Day.

Set pre-canon. Chris is twelve, Thomas is nine, and Michael is seven.

Disclaimer: Anything and everything to do with Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters was my idea...April Fool's. No, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

Thomas Arclight tried to stifle his laughter as he slowly closed the door to his older brother's room and returned to his own. Tomorrow was the first of April, a time for pranks and practical jokes. Of course, Thomas's favorite part was the reaction of his intended target.

The nine-year-old snickered evilly as he climbed into bed and curled up under the bed covers. The fun would begin in just a few short hours...

...

At five o'clock in the morning, Christopher Arclight was thrown out of bed by an alarm clock going off.

"Very funny, Thomas," Chris sighed as he reached for the alarm clock on the nightstand next to his bed. "Setting my alarm clock to go off three hours early, _hilarious_." Honestly, if Thomas thought this was supposed to be a big April Fool's trick, then the middle Arclight was losing his touch.

After a few minutes, the eldest Arclight child had almost fallen asleep when another alarm clock went off somewhere in the room.

Chris groaned and got out of bed.

A minute later another alarm went off. Then five minutes later another went off.

"What is going on here?" the twelve-year-old Arclight could not figure out where all of those alarms were coming from. Obviously, they were all in his room, but the question was where in the room.

Thomas tried to stay silent as he heard Chris trying desperately to find the clocks that his devious little brother had hidden all over his room.

...

Chris had just discovered an alarm clock in his sock drawer when his bedroom door opened.

"Chris, would you mind explaining why your alarm went off at this hour?"

Chris looked at his feet.

"I...have no idea, Father," he answered.

Byron Arclight sighed.

"Chris, this isn't like you," he said.

Before either of them could say another word, another alarm went off somewhere in the room.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps. They turned to see the youngest Arclight, seven-year-old Michael, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Why's everything so loud?" he asked.

"My alarm went off," Chris answered. "But I set it for eight o'clock, not five...and all of a sudden, all of these other alarms started going off one at a time."

"Why didn't it wake Thomas up?" Michael questioned, slowly waking up.

Chris shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Thomas could sleep through a hurricane," the silvernette grumbled. "If anything he..."

Chris frowned.

"Of course," he spat. "I just _know_ Thomas had something to do with this. After all, it's April Fool's."

"It's a holiday," Michael smiled slightly.

"Thomas certainly thinks it is," Byron remarked, glancing down at the clock he had just found under Chris's bed.

After Chris finally quieted the last clock, the three could hear Thomas giggling in his room.

Chris marched into his brother's room to find the middle Arclight sitting at the foot of his bed, laughing so hard that tears were falling from his scarlet eyes.

"I got you!" he laughed. "Admit it, Chris, I got you good."

"Yes, yes, you're a riot," his brother said dryly. "How did you even manage to get all of those clocks?"

"I know where Dad hides the extra ones just in case one breaks," Thomas smirked, running a hand through his dark red hair.

"Alright, you've had your fun," the older boy glared at him. "But Father has to go work today."

"I know," Thomas said. "I was just playing..."

...

Later that morning, everything seemed relatively normal. But Chris was still suspicious of any more of Thomas's pranks.

The nine-year-old hadn't laughed or given any impression that he was waiting for something. But of course, no one ever had any way of knowing what went on in Thomas's devilish little head.

But right now he was sitting with Michael, both of them on the floor, playing with the dog.

'_Maybe Thomas doesn't have anything else planned_,' Chris thought to himself. '_No. I can't let my guard down. Thomas hasn't given me any reason to be suspicious, but that's when his tricks are at their most dangerous_.'

That's when he heard his father let out a cry of surprise along with the sound of something hitting the table.

"What happened?" Chris hurried into the kitchen.

"Someone..." Byron gagged. "Put salt in my coffee."

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that someone was Thomas," Chris shook his head. Not even their father had been spared from Thomas's mischief. "At least he left the rest of the coffee alone."

Of course, Thomas would never prank his father to the extent of what would without a doubt be coming to his brothers.

...

After Byron left, Chris took the empty mug, along with the dishes from breakfast and placed them in the sink.

As the twelve-year-old Arclight turned the knob on the faucet, he let out a yelp as the water sprayed him.

He sighed in frustration. Of course. Thomas had tied a rubber band around the spray nozzle, knowing that it was Chris's turn to do the dishes.

"Alright, I walked into this one," Chris murmured to himself. "I should have known better than to let my guard down."

"Yeah, you really should have!" a child laughed before scampering away.

...

As evening fell, Chris began to feel a little more at ease as Thomas seemed to have run out of ideas for pranks.

"Thank goodness," he sighed.

"Chris," Michael entered the room. "Do you think Thomas is done for this year?"

Chris smiled at his younger brother. "I think so."

"I just hope he doesn't do anything else tonight," Michael said.

"I do too," Chris agreed. "I know Thomas is intelligent, I just wish that he would channel it into something less mischievous."

"Yeah," Michael sighed, before yawning and rubbing his eyes. "Goodnight, big brother."

"Goodnight," Chris replied.

...

Michael felt himself being moved as he lay in his bed. But that was impossible, his bed had been placed firmly on the floor.

But when the pinknette opened his eyes, he saw that his bed was at the far end of the bedroom, far away from his window. But his bed was supposed to be next to the window...

The seven-year-old gasped. His nightstand was next to his closet.

"What the...?" he was stunned. "What's going on here?"

"April Fool's!" Thomas snickered in the doorway before leaving.

Michael rolled his eyes, rolled onto his side, and tried to get back to sleep.

...

By this point, Thomas had already exhausted every idea he had for pranks. But that was alright. April Fool's Day would be over in just another hour. But at least he had pulled a number of good pranks. And there was always next year...

...

...

So, how was it? Let me know.

And I promise, the next chapter actually will be out on Saturday, April 4th. This time, this is not an April Fool's gag, swears.


	3. Easter Antics

A/N: Here is chapter 3. Thank you to FoxLover96, Anonymous, De hears 26, Lee-Lee2306, and Durbe the Barian for the reviews on the previous chapter. Enjoy this new chapter. And Happy Easter, everyone.

This little ficlet is set pre-canon. Chris is nine, Thomas is six, and Michael is four.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Arclights (Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?) or Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the other characters, Shin Yoshida owns all of the characters and everything pertaining to Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal.

...

It was seven o'clock in the evening and Easter was only a day away. The three Arclight boys sat at the table in the kitchen, painting eggs.

"Look!" beamed Michael, the youngest of the boys at four years old, as he showed his older brothers the red egg he had just finished painting yellow dots on.

"It looks nice," Chris, the eldest, smiled.

Thomas, the middle child, merely snorted before turning his attention back to the egg he himself had been painting; robin-egg blue with little green stripes.

Michael sat his egg down to dry and began painting another egg. This time, the pink-haired toddler decided to use purple with pink swirls.

"What do you think of this one, big brother?" he asked Chris.

"I like it," Chris answered.

Michael's eyes lit up and a pleased grin formed on his little face.

"Michael, you don't have to report every egg you paint, you know," Thomas said.

Michael frowned and stuck his tongue out.

Thomas glared and picked up his paintbrush. That's when he got an idea.

Grinning evilly, the six-year-old reached across the table, dipped his paintbrush into the red paint, and with one flick of his wrist, painted a red line across Michael's upper lip.

"Hey!" the toddler cried in surprise.

Thomas howled with laughter.

"Nice mustache!" the maroon-and-golden-haired child snickered.

Michael's big, bright green eyes lit up with fury before changing to surprise as Thomas dipped his brush into some orange paint and drew it across Michael's eyebrows.

"Nice monobrow!" he cackled.

"OOOHH!" Michael squeaked. "Thomas, I'll get you!"

He grabbed the blue paint and aimed straight for Thomas's smirking face before throwing it.

Unfortunately, at that very moment, Chris had been reaching for the green paint and Thomas ducked.

Michael gasped with horror as the paint splashed all over Chris's silver, shoulder-length braid.

"Chris! Big brother! I didn't mean...I was trying to..." the little pinknette stammered as the paint dripped onto Chris's white pants. "I'm sorry! Please don't be mad, big brother! I didn't mean...I'm really really sorry!"

Chris, usually the most calm and level-headed of the three, threw his brush aside, grabbed the purple paint, held it over Thomas, who was laughing so hard he was wiping his eyes, and turned the can upside down.

"You almost got it in my mouth!" Thomas snarled, throwing the green paint at his older brother.

"Serves you right," Michael sniffed.

"You little-!" Thomas growled before taking his paint-covered hand and wiping it across Michael's curly bangs.

That did it. All three boys abandoned the eggs that they had been painting. Right now, they were more focused on painting each other.

Before long, the anger that had started it all had faded. The children were now giggling as they took a look at their handiwork.

Chris's braid was now blue, red, purple, and yellow with a dab of green here and there. His bangs were purple, yellow, and pink. His left cheek was red while his right was green and his chin was orange. And Thomas, being the little demon child he was prone to behave as, had painted blue glasses around Chris's eyes.

"They make you look even more bookish than you already are," the middle Arclight had commented.

Thomas's entire head was purple while his shoulders were blue and red.

Michael was still sporting the red mustache, purple bangs, and orange unibrow that Thomas had given him that had begun the entire incident, in addition to what looked to be a purple beard and blue sideburns.

"What is going on in here?"

The three turned to see their father standing in the doorway.

"Uh-oh..." Michael looked down.

"Michael started it!" Thomas pointed at his younger brother.

"Somehow I find _that_ hard to believe," Byron replied dryly.

Thomas gulped.

"Thomas got mad at Michael for something, painted him, then Michael tried to paint him, but got me...and I guess I kind of lost my temper..." Chris looked down.

Byron looked from his sons to the eggs that had sat forgotten, then back at the boys. Though at first it seemed that he was angry, he tossed his head back and laughed.

"We should get a picture of the three of you like this," he said.

After that was done, the Arclights cleaned up their mess, and proceeded to get themselves cleaned up.

"We should do this every year," Thomas said later that night. "It was actually more fun than painting the eggs."

Chris, who had spent over an hour trying to scrub his hair clean, and was still trying to get rid of his 'glasses', glared at his little brother.

"No."

...

...

So, I hope everyone enjoyed that. Once again, Happy Easter everyone.

And the next chapter will be out on Saturday, April 11th.


	4. Bittersweet

A/N: Hello, everyone. Here is chapter four. Thank you to FoxLover96, Bakorra Kaiba, and 90sboy for all of the reviews on the previous chapter. I hope everyone enjoys this brand new chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does. And the song '_Bittersweet_' belongs to Within Temptation. Listen to this song and tell me it doesn't make you think of the Arclight brothers.

Set pre-canon. Chris is fifteen, Thomas is twelve, and Michael is ten.

...

The three brothers stepped off of the escalator and stayed close together. It was six o'clock in the evening.

Chris, the eldest, wore a dark blue wool trench coat over white pants and a black long-sleeved shirt, white boots, and a dark blue scarf.

Thomas, the middle child, wore black pants tucked into black boots, a white long-sleeved shirt with a grey vest, and a white coat similar to his brother's with a maroon scarf.

Michael, the youngest, wore black boots just like Thomas's, maroon pants, a dark red sweater, and a dark red coat just like the ones his older brothers wore, with the exception of the color, and a bright red wool scarf.

Chris led his brothers from the crowd toward a ticket counter. The silver-haired Arclight left to pay for their tickets while his two younger brothers waited.

"I'm hungry," Michael whispered to Thomas, rubbing his gloved hands together.

"We'll see if we can grab something before the train leaves," Thomas replied, stuffing his own hands in his pockets. "But we can't let anyone see us."

Michael pulled the hood of his coat over his pink curls and Thomas pulled his hat over his dark red and yellow hair before they both wrapped their scarves around their faces until only their eyes and noses were visible. They didn't want anyone to recognize them.

After the two younger Arclight brothers had run away from the orphanage, they had found Chris, who told them of how Dr. Faker, the man who their father had worked with, had betrayed their father and by extension, betrayed their entire family.

Now, the three boys were on the run. Chris had become paranoid that someone might take his brothers back to the orphanage. He couldn't allow his family to be separated again, so the only solution was to leave Heartland City.

They weren't sure where Chris was going to take them, but the two younger boys were going with him no matter what. They trusted their big brother to always look out for them.

...

As Chris ushered his brothers onto the train, he heard a serene flute sound emitting from the speakers, followed by a poetic song;

_If I tell you_

_Will you listen, will you stay?_

_Will you be here forever?_

_Never go away?_

_Never thought things would change_

_Hold me tight_

_Please don't say again_

_That you have to go_

_A bitter thought I had it all_

_But I just let it go_

_Oh, this silence it's so violent_

_Since you're gone_

_All my thoughts are with you forever_

_Until the day we'll be back together_

_I will be waiting for you_

_If I had told you_

_You would have listened_

_You had stayed_

_You would be here forever_

_Never went away_

_It would never have been the same_

_All our time would have been in vain_

_'Cause you had to go_

_The sweetest thought I had it all_

_'Cause I did let you go_

_All our moments keep me warm_

_When you're gone_

_All my thoughts are with you forever_

_Until the day we'll be back together_

_I will be waiting for you_

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, was Within Temptation's _Bittersweet_," a man on the radio spoke.

Chris smiled slightly. It made him think of his little brothers, both of whom were now fast asleep. Michael was lying in Chris's lap, and Thomas was lying against the oldest brother's shoulder.

"It's good to be back with you, big brother," Thomas murmured.

Chris smiled and patted his golden bangs.

"I'll always look after you two," he whispered.

Thomas smiled slightly, nuzzled Chris's shoulder and drifted off once more.

Chris watched his younger brothers sleep. What lay ahead for all three of them was unclear, but he was determined to make sure that no matter what, the three of them stayed together this time.

As he drifted off to sleep himself, he couldn't help but think back to the song he had heard earlier:

_All my thoughts are with you forever_

_Until the day we'll be back together_

_I will be waiting for you..._

"We're back together now," Chris kissed Thomas on the forehead before doing the same to Michael. Thomas grunted softly and turned onto his side, all the while staying asleep. Michael rubbed his eyes and curled into a ball.

"We'll stay together this time," Chris promised his sleeping siblings. "This time nothing will tear us apart I promise."

...

...

So, how was it? Let me know.

The next chapter will be out on Saturday, April 18th.


	5. The Flu Strikes

A/N: This is chapter 5. Thank you to Foxlover96 for the review on the last chapter. Also an additional thanks to Durbe the Barian for the additional review on chapter 3. And now on with the fic.

Set pre-canon. Chris is eleven, Thomas is eight, and Michael is six.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

It didn't take a genius to know that Thomas was sick.

Just a few days ago, the loudest of the Arclight brothers had gone to play outside in the rain, despite protests from his brothers. He had insisted that he was fine. After all, he almost never got sick.

That was the problem; Thomas _was_ hardly ever sick. While Michael, a delicate child, was more susceptible to little colds and occasional sniffles, Thomas was not. But the problem was when Thomas _did_ get sick, it was something strong enough to knock him off his feet, sometimes for several days at a time.

And sure enough, a cough developed not long after he came in from his day in the rain, followed closely by a sore throat and before long, a fever.

Chris had taken a guess what had happened, but took Thomas to the doctor regardless. The eldest Arclight felt more comfortable letting a professional decide what was wrong.

Michael, with Chris's help, called Dr. Faker's facility to let their father know what had happened.

When they got to the hospital, the doctor had told Chris was the latter had already suspected: little Thomas had the flu.

...

Chris sat beside his brother's bed, watching him sleep. Their father had met them at the door when they had come home. He had taken Thomas and tried to lay him on the couch.

"No," Thomas had protested, weakly clutching at the front of his father's coat. "I want my bed..."

The normally energetic child was now lying in his bed, covered by a few layers of blankets, barely able to lift his head. His golden bangs, moist with sweat, clung to his forehead.

"Chris..." his voice came out sounded like a weak croak.

"What is it, Thomas?" the older boy asked.

"It's cold," his brother groaned, curling into a ball and pulling his blankets closer.

"I know," Chris replied.

He could hear Thomas's stomach growl. But the poor little boy couldn't swallow anything, not even liquids, without wincing in pain. He was hungry, but he couldn't bring himself to eat anything. He could barely even manage to take the medication that was supposed to help him feel better.

...

"I don't want you going into Thomas's room," Chris told Michael the next morning. Byron had just left for work and the two boys were just finishing breakfast.

"Why?" Michael asked.

"Because I don't want you to get sick too," Chris said, setting two slices of toast on a plate. "I'm going to go see if Thomas is feeling up to eating anything."

"Okay," Michael said, getting up and beginning to clear the table.

Aspen, the Arclight family's dog, wagged his tail and looked up at Chris.

"No, Aspen," Chris said, holding the plate up a little higher. "This is for Thomas."

Aspen whined and lowered his ears.

"Your food's over there," Michael laughed, pointing at the bowl in the far corner of the living room, right next to where the dog slept.

Aspen followed Chris to Thomas's bedroom door, only for Chris to stop him as he tried to enter.

"No, Aspen," the silver-haired preteen frowned.

The dog whined again before turning and walking back to the living room.

Chris felt a little bad about making Aspen stay away from Thomas. After all, Aspen seemed to be closer to the middle Arclight child than the others. But he also didn't want to risk anything aggravating Thomas's already nasty cough.

But the thing that Chris hated the most, aside from Thomas's obvious misery, was the silence. Normally, Thomas would be playing with Aspen or teasing Michael. But now, a heavy silence fell and Chris would have given anything to see Thomas come bounding out of his room or hear him laughing as he ran around with Michael or Aspen.

...

...

So, how was it? Let me know.

The next chapter will be out on Friday, April 24tb.


	6. The Flu Part II

A/N: Here is chapter 6. Thank you to FoxLover96, Lee-Lee2306, and shiningstar786 for the reviews on chapter 5. I hope you all enjoy this brand new chapter.

Set pre-canon as an obvious continuation of the previous chapter. Chris is still eleven, Thomas is still eight, and Michael is still six.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

Thomas stirred weakly and groaned. Three days had gone by and the flu that was ravaging his body was still going strong. His father looked after him when he was home and when he went off to work, Chris was there to look after him. Michael never came into the room. Thomas had been hurt at first, not understanding why his little brother wouldn't want to see him, especially now. But then he overheard Chris telling Michael that it was best. After all, Michael was more delicate and therefore more susceptible to illness than his older brothers.

"Thomas?"

The child turned to see his older brother standing in the doorway.

Chris walked over to his little brother's bed and sat down beside the child.

With great effort, Thomas sat up and crawled toward his brother.

The older boy said nothing, but lifted his brother into his lap. Thomas buried his face in the silvernette's shoulder. Chris found himself worrying; Thomas was burning up.

Suddenly, the red-and-yellow-haired child was shivering.

"Chris...why's it so cold?" he asked, wrapping his arms around himself.

"Thomas...it's not that cold," Chris replied, his hand on his brother's forehead. "And I'm surprised you feel so cold when...you're burning up like this."

"Chriiiiiis," Thomas whined softly before dissolving into a fit of coughing. "I can't help it. It's cold!"

Finally, the silver-haired preteen finally relented and let his brother cover himself with some more blankets.

"I don't feel as bad as I did," Thomas admitted. "But I still feel pretty lousy."

...

Chris sat in the living room with Michael. Their father wasn't going to be back for another day or two and Thomas was still feeling sick, so it was just the two of them and the dog. Chris was sitting on the couch, reading a book and Michael was sitting on the floor, playing with Aspen.

"Do you think Thomas will be better soon?" the little pinknette asked.

"He should be," his brother answered, careful not to let his doubts be shown.

Michael said nothing, but went back to playing with the dog.

Aspen laid his head and the pinknette's lap and licked his hand.

Michael smiled and lowered his head. Aspen responded by licking the youngest Arclight on the cheek, earning a giggle from the child.

"I hope Thomas gets better soon," he said. "It's too quiet around here."

Chris nodded. He had been thinking the same thing.

"I'm going to go check on Thomas and make sure he's all right," he said.

...

Thomas was lying under his heap of blankets, groaning in his sleep. Chris was tempted to wake his brother, but also reasoned that the younger boy need to rest, especially now.

Suddenly, the eight-year-old jerked and his eyes slowly opened.

"Chris..." he whispered hoarsely.

"What is it?" Chris asked, sitting down beside his brother.

Thomas said nothing, but weakly crawled toward the older boy, sighing contently as he laid his head down in the silver-haired Arclight's lap.

Chris smiled slightly and ran a hand through his sibling's dark red hair.

"You'll feel better soon, Thomas," he assured the child. "I promise."

...

...

So, how was it? Let me know, everyone.

Feel free to leave some reviews and possibly even some requests.

And the next chapter will be out on Saturday, May 2nd.


	7. The Flu Part III

A/N: Here is chapter 7. Thank you to FoxLover96, Lee-Lee2306, Zexalloverforever39, and shiningstar786 for the reviews on chapter 6. I hope everyone enjoys this brand new chapter.

Still a continuation of the previous two chapters. Chris is still eleven, Thomas is still eight, and little Michael is still six.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

"I'll keep an eye on things here, Father," Chris promised, knowing that Byron didn't doubt him. "I always do."

After he had gone upstairs to check on Thomas earlier that morning, the father of the three Arclight brothers had bade his youngest and eldest sons goodbye as he left for Heartland Tower.

Chris sighed. He knew that his little brother Thomas was still feeling rather poorly. The flu had still not left the middle sibling's body.

"Chris, Thomas is going to get better soon, isn't he?" Michael asked, pulling Chris out of his thoughts.

"Don't worry, he will," Chris smiled softly. Michael had been worrying for Thomas just about as much as the eldest Arclight brother.

"Are you sure?" Michael pressed.

Chris ran a hand through his youngest brother's pink curls. Michael really was a sweet and thoughtful child, it only made sense that he would be concerned for his brother.

"I'm sure," the silver-haired eleven-year-old answered. "Would I ever lie to you?"

Michael smiled softly.

"No," the six-year-old pinknette answered, hugging Chris.

Chris hugged back, suppressing a yawn. He had been awake since about seven o'clock that morning. He had gone upstairs not long after his father to check on Thomas to find that while he still felt poorly, he seemed to be doing a little better; he had been a little more responsive when his older brother had gently prodded him awake to have a light breakfast consisting of a weak tea and two slices of toast. Thomas had refused to eat anything more than one piece of toast, and while it worried Chris, he did not force his brother to eat.

...

It was clear to Chris that Thomas was now on the mend; First, he had once again been more responsive. He'd even managed to keep his toast down. He also had told Chris that his throat didn't feel as sore and when Chris felt his forehead, it was still warm, but nowhere near as hot as it had been before.

"Chris, I'm not a baby you know. You don't have to hover over me every five minutes," Thomas snickered. "Knowing you, I'll bet when I was a baby, you probably leaned over the crib to make sure I was breathing."

Chris said nothing at first, knowing his brother was right about that.

"For your information, I was three," he replied crisply after a minute or two. "I leaned over the crib partially because I had never seen a baby before. At least not up close."

"Sure," Thomas smirked. "And because you were afraid of something happening to me."

"Alright, I **know** you're feeling better if you can tease and make cracks like that," Chris couldn't help but chuckle.

"I still feel pretty crappy," Thomas said, snuggling into his blankets. "But it's not as bad, as least I can actually breathe and open and close my eyes without my head pounding."

"There's some definite progress," Chris nodded, sitting at the foot of the bed.

Thomas wriggled out of his blankets and crawled over to his brother.

"You've been taking good care of me," the-eight-year-old said with a slight smile as he hugged Chris.

"You're my little brother," Chris replied, wrapping his arms around the child. "I'll always take care of you."

He looked down at Thomas to see that that mischievous glint in the younger boy's scarlet eyes that he had missed so much was back. Thomas was slowly but surely recovering.

...

Chris yawned softly as he made his way to his room. It had been a long day and he was tired. His father had not returned yet, but that was to be expected as he often did not come home until late at night. By that time, usually all three brothers, or at the very least the two younger ones, were in bed sleeping. Chris himself had checked in on Thomas one last time for the night before tucking Michael into bed.

As he entered the room he felt a slight tickle in his throat, followed by a sneeze.

Suddenly, the preteen Arclight didn't feel so well.

"Oh great..."

...

...

I hope everyone enjoyed that new chapter and the next one will be out on Monday, May 11th.


	8. Fate

A/N: Alright, first off, I know this isn't the date I promised to update but I just couldn't resist. I had to publish this. Second off, thank you to Wildgirl6, Lee-Lee2306, FoxLover96, and Durbe the Barian for all the reviews on the last chapter. And third, this new, slightly AU, chapter was written sometime ago, it was just waiting for the right time to be put out there. And it looks like today is that day. Enjoy, everyone.

Just like in canon, Michael is fifteen, Thomas is seventeen, and Chris is twenty. Oh, and one other thing, in this (hence it being AU) Vetrix never existed. Byron Arclight vanished and never returned.

Disclaimer: I still do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

Steam hovered above the tea, letting anyone who was about to drink it know it was hot.

Michael Arclight stood and picked up his tea tray. With his back straight, elbows bent at a specific angle, and a calm and composed disposition, he made serving tea a rigorous and dedicated art. It was impressive enough to make his brothers stop whatever they were doing and peek at their younger brother's grace, something that even they, as impossible as it may seemed, lacked.

Both of the older Arclight brothers were most likely in their study, Christopher poring over his books and Thomas painting or perhaps even playing the piano. They spent nearly all of their time in their study, nurturing their talents, studying the arts, and generally spending time together.

Christopher and Thomas suffered from Fatal Familial Insomnia and while Michael knew that he was lucky to have escaped the illness that afflicted his older brothers, he couldn't help but feel guilty for that same reason. He also felt sad and worried, knowing that his brothers would eventually be taken away from him and there was nothing that he could do to stop it.

Sighing heavily, the boy knocked on the door before just walking in.

The room was dark, save for the fire crackling softly in the fireplace and a few candles here and there. The curtains were closed, making it seem as though it was midnight rather than early evening. Christopher was sitting in his favorite chair, deeply immersed in a book given to him by his brothers for his twentieth birthday last month.

Thomas was sitting at the piano in the far corner of the room, his fingers gliding flawlessly over the ivory keys and filling the room with a haunting melody that matched the situation perfectly: dark, grim, and solemn.

Michael bit his lip as his gaze fell upon the dark shadows under Chris's eyes as the older Arclight turned to look at him, a strained smile on his perpetually melancholy face.

Chris had been the first to be struck down by the fatal insomnia, and Thomas followed suit in just a matter of weeks after.

The doctors had informed the brothers that the illness had four stages, all of which took seven to eighteen months to fully run the course.

Now both Chris and Thomas were in what doctors had described as stage three of the dreaded disease; both had suffered from complete inability to sleep, followed by a frighteningly rapid loss of weight. This had been occurring over the last two months. One more month and next would come dementia and Chris and Thomas would become less responsive and quite possibly forgetful. And then they would die.

"Go ahead and sit, Michael," Thomas urged, nodding to the seat between himself and Chris.

Michael smiled in spite of everything and sat, taking care to place the tea on the table in the center of the room.

Chris blinked and his azure eyes stared sleepily ahead. It seemed as though the eldest Arclight brother was going to fall asleep any moment.

But he wouldn't. Michael knew for a fact that he wouldn't. Thomas looked the same way, but never once fell asleep. Neither of the older brothers did. And it was that very issue that was sapping their life away little by little each day. Soon, they would both finally close their eyes and be able to sleep. But after that, they would never wake up.

Michael hugged Chris, who looked surprised at first, but then wrapped his own arms around his little brother.

Thomas stood up and strode over to his brothers and joined in the hug. It wasn't fair that he and Chris would eventually succumb to the dark affliction ravaging their bodies, leaving Michael all alone, the weight of the world on his delicate shoulders.

It wasn't fair, but it was fate. And fate was cruel and unfair to anyone and everyone. Fate had already taken their beloved father, Byron Arclight, five years ago. Then, the brothers had been separated when Thomas and Michael were taken away to an orphanage while Chris stayed with his father's friend, Dr. Faker, who unbeknownst to him was responsible for Byron's disappearance. Then, when Chris turned eighteen and learned of Faker's treachery, he left the man's facility, returned for his younger brothers, and took them away and for a time, they all believed that they would be together and happy like they used to be. But then once again, cruel, unfair reality reared its ugly head and struck down the eldest two with the dreaded disease.

...

...

So, how was it? Let me know, everyone.

The next chapter will be out on the previously promised date of Monday, May 11th.


	9. Torment

A/N: Here is the new chapter as promised. I hope everyone enjoyed the little surprise chapter the other day. Thanks to FoxLover96, Lee-Lee2306, and shiningstar786 for the reviews on chapter 8. Also, an additional thanks to shiningstar786 for the additional review on chapter 7. I hope everyone enjoys this new chapter.

Disclaimer: Not Shin Yoshida, don't own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters.

Set pre-canon, Chris is ten, Thomas is seven, and Michael is five.

...

Ten-year-old Christopher Arclight smiled slightly as he secured the hair tie around his hair. He now had a sleek, silver braid that rested over his left shoulder and ended right at his chest. It looked similar to his father's, only it wasn't as long and it hung from the side rather than down his back like his father's and his hair was a different color. Well, the similarities had to stop somewhere.

"Chris?"

Chris looked down to see a boy no older than five looking up at him.

"What is it, Michael?" he asked.

"I'm scared to sleep in my room," the smaller boy answered meekly.

"Why? You weren't scared last night," Chris said, confused.

"Thomas told me there's a monster in my room," Michael whimpered. "He said because there's a full moon tonight it's going to come out of the floor and eat me."

Chris sighed inwardly. The three brothers were close, but for some reason, Thomas sometimes seemed to take great pleasure in tormenting Michael. Sometimes he took his toys, other times he tried to scare him. Tonight it was obviously the second.

The eldest Arclight brother didn't understand why Thomas felt the need to torment the youngest. Maybe it was part of being the middle child.

"You can sleep here tonight then if you want," the silvernette offered.

Michael smiled before shooting forward and hugging his brother.

"Thanks, Chris," he murmured, nuzzling Chris's chest.

Chris smiled down at his little brother.

"You're welcome, Michael."

The five-year-old crawled up onto the bed.

Chris sighed and shook his head. He didn't mind letting his youngest brother sleep in his room for the night, he was used to it by now as he had done it several times and so had Thomas, who was still prone to it from time to time but would never admit it.

Thomas...

'_He and I are going to have to have a little talk about tormenting Michael,'_ Chris thought as he laid down beside Michael, who cuddled closer to him as the brothers drifted off.

...

...

So, how was that? Feel free to let me know.

The next chapter will be out on Wednesday, May 27th.


	10. Baby Michael

A/N: Here is a brand new chapter. Thank you to FoxLover96, shiningstar786, and Durbe the Barian for the lovely reviews on the previous chapter. I hope that everyone enjoys this new chapter.

This particular chapter is set far pre-canon. Chris is five years old going on six, Thomas is two, going on three, and Michael is soon to turn a year old.

Disclaimer: I do not now nor will I possibly ever own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

Two-year-old Thomas Arclight sat on the couch in the living room, pouting. Ever since the new baby had been born, he was all that mattered.

Thomas's parents had had the baby a little over two months ago. But when Chris, Thomas's older brother, had asked if he and Thomas could see the baby, their father had explained to them that the baby needed to stay in the hospital because he had been born a little early. Luckily, his lungs and all were developed well enough so that now, a month after he had been born, he could come home.

Shortly after, their mother had come home, carrying the gurgling newborn in a little blue blanket. An even smaller blue hat covered the infant's head. Ever since the baby had come home, he had slept most of the time. Byron explained to his two young sons that it was normal for babies to do so, especially for one that had come early as their new brother had. Byron and their mother, Annabelle, had both decided to name their new son Michael.

Nearly a year had gone by, but the now middle Arclight brother was still bitter about everything. After all, he had been the baby for the first two years of his life. Now that was all gone. And ever since Michael had been born, Chris paid less attention to Thomas. Their parents also seemed to dote on the baby more then they did Thomas. It wasn't that he felt neglected, Chris and their parents still always had time for him, he was just angry. What made the baby so special? Why did they even need another baby? Hadn't he been good enough? If so, why not?

Suddenly a soft coo pulled the sulking toddler out of his thoughts.

The red-and-yellow-haired child looked down to see his baby brother sitting beside him. The baby, approaching his first year, was now trying to crawl into his lap.

Thomas frowned but said nothing.

Baby Michael cooed softly and snuggled against Thomas's arm, his newly grown pink curls entrapping Thomas's little fingers.

Thomas sighed.

"Well...I guess you're not too bad," he said after a while.

The infant stared at his older brother for a moment before giggling, laying his little head on Thomas's stomach, and continuing to snuggle against him.

Thomas yawned and felt his eyes growing heavy. With a sigh, the nearly three-year-old child laid his head down on the couch and drifted off, his baby brother lying down beside him.

...

As Chris entered the room, he was pleased to see both of his brothers resting together on the couch. He had noticed that Thomas had not taken an immediate liking to the new addition to the Arclight family. But now, here they were, sleeping in each other's arms.

The five-year-old carefully lifted Thomas and just as he turned to take the younger boy to his bed, he found himself staring up at his mother.

"It seems that little Michael has begun to work his way into our stubborn little Thomas's heart," Annabelle said.

Chris nodded.

"It took him a while," he couldn't help but smile as he held his little brother closer. "But I guess better late than never."

"That's very true," his mother agreed, stroking her eldest son's bangs and patting her middle child's head before walking over to the couch where Michael rested and lifting the sleeping infant gently into her arms and carrying him to his room.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Annabelle called over her shoulder.

"Goodnight, mother," Chris replied before turning and carrying Thomas to his room, which he was lucky, was only just across the hall from Chris's own bedroom.

...

...

So, how was it? Let me know.

I hope that you all enjoyed it. Reviews are always appreciated, whereas flames will be ignored.

And the next chapter will be out on Friday, June 19th.


	11. The Fall of the Arclight Brothers

A/N: I know it's been a while but here is the new chapter. Thanks to shiningstar786, FoxLover96, Lee-Lee2306, and Bakorra Kaiba for the reviews on the previous chapter. Enjoy this new chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

"You lost, didn't you?"

Quattro looked up, groaning and clutching the side of his head as he did so. He could still feel the pain he had felt when he slammed headfirst to the ground in his duel against Ryoga. He partially blamed Vetrix for interfering and distracting him therefore keeping him from performing at his best. How could he concentrate when the person who had once been his loving father kept berating him and telling him how much of a disappointment and a complete and utter failure he was, and how little faith he had in him?

Now, his brother was glaring down at him. Quattro could only hope his brother would listen to him or at the very least take it easy on him after seeing how much physical and emotional pain he was in.

"Quinton-"

"You are always doing this," Quinton sighed wearily. "You always say you'll come out on top, but you always reach too high. Did I not tell you that your arrogance would be your downfall?"

"Quinton, I-" Quattro tried again.

"No, Quattro," the older Arclight's expression became one of cold fury. "You are seventeen years old, yet you still behave like a petulant child and I am getting so sick and tired of having to clean up your messes."

"Quinton, please!" the Gimmick Puppet duelist was all but pleading now. "I came close to winning and I would have if Vetrix hadn't-"

"There you go again, blaming someone else for your own shortcomings," his brother snarled, his azure eyes ablaze with anger. "When

are you going to learn to grow up and accept responsibility for your actions? And how many times do I have to tell you that you WILL show the proper respect to Vetrix before you finally register in beyond that thick skull of yours?"

Quattro blinked, trying to hide the tears welling up in his scarlet eyes.

Before long however, the physically broken middle Arclight found himself throwing his arms around his brother's neck and the tears began rolling down his cheeks.

"Quinton, how can you still defend him?" he cried. "He called all of us useless. Even Trey. Even you! And still you try to defend him and excuse what he's done! Look at my face! He did that to me!"

"Stop it, Quattro!" Quinton snapped, his cold mask slipping to reveal an undisguised anger.

"Quinton...Chris...why can't you accept that he's not our father anymore?" Quattro clenched his teeth. "Father would have never put us through all of this. Chris-"

"Do NOT call me by that name!" the silver-haired duelist shoved his brother away from him. "We swore the day we began out quest for revenge that we would never refer to ourselves by those names ever again. Christopher Arclight is gone, Quattro!"

Quattro said nothing. Quinton, fueled with rage, continued his verbal assault.

"You are a disappointment and you are a failure!" he hissed. "You wouldn't have to be criticized if you did things right. If Vetrix said

you were a disgrace, then he was correct."

Quattro's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Quinton-" Quattro tried again, but his older brother held up a hand to silence him.

"How can you say those things to me?" the younger brother gasped, his voice barely above a whisper. "He said that about you and Trey too."

"Enough!" Quinton growled, advancing on his brother.

Quattro backed away, colliding with the wall.

"Brother..." all traces of anger had faded and Quinton could hear the sadness, the tiredness, and all around hopelessness.

in his younger brother's voice. But the silver-haired Number Hunter was too angry to stop.

"Vetrix is right about you!" he snapped, his words lashing out, mean as snakes. "You are pathetic, useless, and a complete embarrassment!"

"What's happened to you?" Quattro asked. "How can you be so cold to me? I...I'm...I'm your little brother..."

"Oh, for goodness sake," Quinton glared at his brother. "When are you going to grow up and learn that we're not children anymore?"

"Quinton-" Quattro was practically pleading now.

"No!" The older Arclight snarled. "You need to learn to look after yourself! After all, it never fazed you before, you useless, selfish brat!"

Suddenly, Quattro gasped and clutched at his chest. A second later, his legs gave out and the teenage Arclight fell against his brother.

His anger cooled and within seconds was replaced with deep remorse as he wrapped his arms around his brother.

"Quattro!" Quinton exclaimed.

Quattro stirred slightly before ceasing to move altogether.

"Quattro..." he realized that the last words his brother had ever heard from him were filled with anger, hate, and malice.

As he held his brother's body in his arms, the silvernette noticed that the younger sibling's body was becoming slightly heavier.

"I'm sorry..."

In that moment, all of his walls came down. Quinton was forsaking his pride as he held his brother's now comatose body.

"I'm sorry, Thomas," he whispered his brother's real name as he sank to the floor, rocking the unconscious boy back and forth, cradling him in his arms, stroking his bi-colored hair

"Thomas...Michael..." Quinton whispered. "I failed...I'm so sorry...please forgive me..."

He fought the urge to let the tears in his eyes fall. No, he couldn't cry...he had to be strong...just like when they were children...he had tried to be so strong for his brothers, even when they were taken from him.

...

"I'll win for you now," Quinton whispered to his brother as he laid him in the bed beside Trey's.

The twenty-year-old Arclight tried not to let his emotions show as he pulled the red bed covers over his brother and placing a hand on his shoulder. The warmth emitting from Quattro was still there but the eldest Arclight knew that it would fade before long, just like Trey.

"I promise," Quinton gave his brother's limp hand a squeeze before turning and smoothing Trey's blanket and stroking the youngest Arclight's pink curls. "When I win...maybe Vetrix will let the two of you wake up again."

...

Quinton's head throbbed painfully as he took the last few steps into the large, dark bedroom where his younger brothers rested.

A second later his legs gave out and he fell to his knees right beside Trey's bed, his hair all around him as he fell. Though days had passed, the pinknette's body hadn't moved a muscle. Neither had Quattro, who lay just inches away in the other bed.

Quinton sighed as his eyelids grew heavy, knowing that he was about to join them.

"Looks like we'll...rest together..." Quinton whispered, taking one of Trey's hands and one of Quattro's in his own before joining his little brothers in eternal darkness and dreams of better days when their family had been whole and unbroken and no illusion at all. Before he had become so cold to them.

His greatest regret was that he had failed. He had tried so hard to win, believing he could save his father and then later believing that his victory would bring his baby brothers back, all miserable failures.

"Thomas...Michael..." Quinton murmured, weakly grasping his brothers' limp hands. "I'm sorry..."

...

...

I hope everyone enjoyed that brand new chapter. And the next one will be out on Saturday, August 15th.


	12. Arguments

A/N: Thanks to FoxLover, the only one who felt like reviewing. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal, Shin Yoshida does.

...

Quinton stared out at the lights flashing throughout Heartland City. The lights were always on, but it seemed much more luminous at night.

"Hey, Chris."

The eldest Arclight brother sighed. His younger brother, Quattro, was still refusing to acknowledge the fact that they could no longer refer to one another by their true names.

"Quattro, you know you're not to address me by that name," he frowned.

"It's your real name, the name I called you for fourteen years, so it's the name I'm going to _continue_ to call you," Quattro retorted.

"If Vetrix hears you-" Quinton began.

"Please," Quattro snorted. "He's too busy watching his cartoons. He's not going to hear me."

"Look, we all agreed that we would only refer to one another by our aliases," his brother tried again.

"But-"

"Thomas, listen to me."

Quattro looked stunned. Quinton felt stunned. He had just done the very thing he had tried to tell his younger sibling not to do...

"You hypocrite," the younger Arclight hissed. "You just said-"

"I know what I said," Quinton sighed. "I didn't mean to say that."

"And yet you did," Quattro snapped.

Without another word, the dual-haired duelist stormed out of the room.

Quinton sighed. It seemed that nearly every time he and the middle Arclight brother spoke, it ended in argument.

The silver-haired teen didn't want things to be this way, but he was busy helping Vetrix plan their revenge at the moment.

'_We'll talk about that later,'_ he said to himself. _'When the plan has been set, we will talk_.'

And he promptly forgot the matter.

...

...

So, how was it? Let me know.

The next chapter will be out on Sunday, September 13th.


	13. Thanksgiving

A/N: Alright, here is a Thanksgiving chapter for everyone. Thank you to shiningstar786 and FoxLover96 for the reviews on the last chapter.

This one is set pre-canon. And Byron has not returned as Vetrix yet. Chris is seventeen, Thomas is fourteen, and Michael is twelve. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Disclaimer: I'm not Shin Yoshida, so I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal.

...

"Thomas, don't even think about it," Chris warned as his younger brother stepped toward the kitchen door.

"Come on, Chris!" Thomas whined. "Just one little piece?"

The eldest Arclight brother shook his head. "No, Thomas. We've already had this conversation at least five times now; we'll all eat together when everything is ready."

"But you've been saying that for hours," the younger Arclight protested. "Come on, I skipped breakfast this morning and I'm starving."

"Just wait in the dining room," said Chris calmy, leading his brother away from the kitchen door. "I need to finish a few more things in here. Why don't you go help Michael with the potatoes?"

"Fine," the red-and-yellow-haired teen grumbled.

...

"I hate peeling potatoes," the fourteen-year-old Arclight complained. "They're wet and slippery and tough. It's so annoying."

"Alright then, how about this; I'll peel, you mash," Michael said.

"I guess that could be okay," his older brother nodded.

Michael smiled and began peeling the potatoes and putting those he peeled into the bowl for Thomas to mash.

...

Chris opened the oven to see if the turkey was finished yet. It was beginning to gain a golden brown tint to it, but it still wasn't to the point it should be.

The silver-haired teen noticed that Thomas was sitting at the table, occupied with making sure the potatoes were good and mashed.

After waiting a little while longer, Chris took another look at the turkey and took it out of the oven and in its' place went the pumpkin pie and fresh dinner rolls.

"I smell turkey!" Thomas raced into the kitchen.

Chris sat the bird down and stood in front of it protectively.

"Oh no you don't," he said, narrowing his azure eyes. "You're not getting near the turkey until the rolls and pie are finished."

"You just want to keep me waiting," Thomas pouted. "You want me to starve!"

"I am doing no such thing," his brother frowned.

"You keep saying I can't have any turkey until this is done or that gets fixed," the middle Arclight folded his arms. "You keep promising '_We'll eat soon'_ but soon seems to be coming later and later."

"The potatoes are ready," Michael reported.

"Good," Chris nodded.

A moment later, the timer went off, letting the eldest Arclight know to take the rolls out of the oven. A few moments later the pie followed.

"Alright, now we can eat," the seventeen-year-old informed his siblings.

...

"That was pretty good," Michael said, stacking the plates up and carrying them to the sink.

"Yep," Thomas strolled into the living room and flopped onto the couch and lied on his back, patting his stomach. "I'm even more stuffed than the turkey."

"I don't doubt that," Chris teased. "After all you had half the rolls yourself as well as nearly half the turkey."

"Hey, I warned you I was starving," the scarlet-eyed teen replied with a shrug.

The three brothers sat together in the living room for the rest of the night, even when Michael and Thomas drifted off to sleep on the chair and the couch respectively. Chris sat in the other chair in the far corner, watching his brothers rest.

Though they still missed their father terribly, life was was actually good in their home, just the three of them. However, Chris did find himself wishing that his father would come through the door in the evenings like he did before. Michael often longed to hear his father's riveting tales of exploring faraway places, which only made the void left by his absence even more painful. And Thomas was...well...Thomas. Sometimes he would lash out or get upset and then he would try to put himself back together. But they were trying, they really were.

...

...

Well, I hope everyone enjoyed that.

The next chapter will be out on Tuesday, December 1st.

Reviews will be greatly appreciated and I hope everyone has or had a happy Thanksgiving.


	14. Of Arclights and Christmas Trees

A/N: Here is another little slightly AU chapter. Thank you to FoxLover96, Zexalloverforever, and shiningstar786 for the reviews on the last chapter. Enjoy, and happy holidays, everyone.

Disclaimer: I am not Shin Yoshida, so I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters.

This chapter is set pre-canon, shortly after Byron's disappearance. Chris is fifteen, Thomas is twelve, and Michael is ten.

...

"Right there, right there!" Thomas instructed. "You've almost got it, Chris, just a little bit more."

"You know, this might go a little smoother if I weren't the only one handling the tree," Chris said, glancing wryly at his brothers.

The eldest Arclight was struggling with the large tree Thomas and Michael had chosen for their Christmas tree.

"Hey, you said it might be too heavy for Michael," Thomas pointed out. "And we needed someone to supervise to make sure you did it right."

"If you want something done right, do it yourself," Chris teased.

"Oh, so the great Christopher Arclight isn't as perfect as everyone thinks," Thomas hurled back.

After setting the tree down, the three brothers set to decorating it. Chris put on the lights, Michael handled the tinsel, and Thomas went straight for the ornaments.

"Please be careful with those this time," Chris told him.

"I know, I know," Thomas grumbled, smirking slightly. "Sheesh, you make one mistake one time, and you're labeled for life. Besides, last year was so much fun."

"Maybe for you," Michael said, untangling the silver tinsel and fixing his older brother with an adorable and playful glare.

"Yes, I've never seen anyone find so many creative ways to break tree ornaments," Chris remarked dryly.

Thomas snickered.

"Okay," the middle Arclight said. "I won't break anything this year. Not on purpose anyway."

Thomas reached for a beautiful blue and white ornament that looked just like a piece of fine china.

"That's still intact..." Chris looked stunned.

"Of course," Thomas looked offended before turning his gaze back to the ornament, softening his gaze as though he were afraid that a hard gaze alone would shatter it. "Mom made it..."

Michael and Chris exchanged glances. The small china-looking ornament had been made by their mother shortly before she had passed away, just a few months after Michael had been born. The ornament had been for their first, and regrettably last, Christmas as a complete family.

"I'd never let this get broken," Thomas smiled sadly at the blue and white ball.

Slowly and carefully, the red-and-yellow-haired Arclight tenderly placed the ornament on the tree, close to the top.

"It's a perfect place for it," Thomas looked up at Chris. "Don't you think, Aniki?"

Chris nodded.

With that, the three once again set to adding more ornaments onto the tree.

...

It's pretty," Michael said, smiling at the tree as its multicolored lights twinkled on and off. Dozens of blue, silver, red, purple, green, and gold ornaments adorned its branches. The silver tinsel made the tree as if it were draped with thousands of sparkling diamonds.

The three brothers sat in front of fireplace. Three stockings hung from the mantel. This was their first Christmas without their father, but the trio were also glad that they had left everything, including their father's treacherous old friend and research partner, Dr. Faker, behind. They now lived far away from Heartland City and had no intentions of ever returning.

But just as quickly as this thought came about, it was gone again. It was Christmas, a time to be cheerful, not angry and resentful of things they couldn't control. Besides, why give Faker the satisfaction? It was better to move on.

The brothers decided to push this from their minds and set to celebrating a quiet little Christmas.

...

...

So, how was it? Let me know. And I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, whatever it is you celebrate, enjoy your holidays, everyone.

The next chapter will be out on Wednesday, December 23rd.


	15. Trey's Party Problem

A/N: Hi, everyone. First off, allow me to apologize for being AWOL the last few weeks, I've recently started at a new job and I work full-time and only have two days off each week, so that doesn't leave me with as much time to work on stories as I would like. But I will still update as often as I possibly can. Anyway, I have a new Arclight piece for you today, and let me just say it's a little more light-hearted than the angst-filled stories I usually write. So, let me know if you like it, but if you don't then please do not flame it. Thank you, enjoy.

Thanks for all the reviews on the previous chapters. You guys are awesome.

This is pre-canon, obviously. Chris/Quinton is eighteen, Thomas/Quattro is fifteen, and Michael/Trey is thirteen.

Disclaimer: I'm not Shin Yoshida, so as follows I neither can nor will claim any ownership to Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters.

...

Fireworks of every size and color filled the night sky. They, along with the lights and other wonders all fought for Trey's attention as he followed his brothers.

"You can definitely tell this is your first time at a finalist party," Quattro teased his younger brother.

"And mine as well," Quinton pointed out as the three brothers passed a well-kempt grove of flowered hedges.

"Yeah, but at least you're more subtle about it," Quattro replied with a smirk.

"Yes, I'm simply the epitome of subtlety," Quinton remarked with a cool half-smile.

"Well, except for the hair," Quattro snorted.

Trey smiled. Lately, it had been a rare thing for his two brothers to joke this way with each other.

The party for the seven Asia Duelist Championship Tournament finalists, which happened to include Quattro, was being held in one of the Charlotta Hotel's elaborate outdoor ballrooms. A broad front path lined with more flowered hedges and lit by bronze lamp posts led to the entrance of the hotel itself, which was filled with gawkers and photographers.

Quinton fought the urge to sigh and shake his head when Quattro composed his face into a smile, his scarlet eyes sparkling brightly, like he didn't have a care in the world. The eldest Arclight was astounded by his brother's behavior; one minute the middle Arclight could be sadistic and cunning when dueling and then he could simply turn into a well-mannered and benign gentleman.

"Can you believe that by this time tomorrow, I'll be the Asian Dueling Champion?" the red-and-yellow-haired duelist grinned at Quinton.

"Don't get too arrogant," his older brother chided. "If you get cocky, you run the risk of losing."

Quattro snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Please, if I wanted to listen to you nag me all night, I could have just stayed home," he snapped.

"We can always go home," Quinton replied, his tone warning his younger brother to stop while he was ahead.

"Quinton, Quattro, this is supposed to be a special night," Trey intercepted. "We rarely get to enjoy something like this, so let's not spoil it by arguing."

Both older Arclights glared at each other, but then conceded to their younger brother's point.

"Very well," Quinton said. "You're right, Trey. It's nice to see _someone_ maintains a calm disposition."

"Hey, you were about to go off too," Quattro growled before tossing his head in annoyance. "You're just lucky there are too many people here for me to dish out my fanservice properly."

"That's hardly a legitimate reason to maintain your temper," his brother sneered, but neither said anything more.

Trey stopped to admire a small crystalline fountain, and the tiny, but beautiful rose garden surrounding it, while his brothers walked on.

A few moments later, the pinknette realized that he was alone.

"Wait for me!" he called, hurrying to the door, only to be stopped by a man in a burgundy blazer and black dress pants.

"Excuse me, I need to have another look at your invitation, please," the man said.

"Of course, but you see I don't actually have one," Trey told him.

"Then I have to ask you to step out of line, sir," the man frowned.

"I'm a guest of someone who does have their invitation, if you could just let me go talk to him, I'm sure we could settle this little misunderstanding in no time," the youngest Arclight smiled politely.

"No invitation, no entry," the guard replied loudly, causing several people to turn and stare at what would undoubtedly become quite the scene in just a few moments.

Trey sighed. He hadn't wanted to resort to this, but he couldn't risk causing any disturbances and that appeared to be what this man wanted.

"The finalist Quattro is waiting for me in there and I'd hate to have to tell him who didn't let me in," the young teen said with a kind yet condescending smile.

"Right," the man chuckled. "And I suppose you two just got 'separated in the crowd' right?"

"Actually-"Trey attempted to confirm that this had indeed occurred, but the man held up a hand to silence him.

"Look, either beat it or I'm calling security," he said.

"Trey, there you are," a voice said behind him.

The guard jumped a little and Trey looked up to see his brother, an irritated smirk on his face.

"The evening's not even started yet and you've already gone and gotten yourself in trouble," the dual-haired duelist shook his head. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Sorry, brother," Trey murmured sheepishly.

"Brother?" the guard looked at each of the two. "Quattro...sir...you actually know this kid?"

Quattro's face contorted into a twisted smirk and his dark red eyes took on a forbidding look.

"Considering that he's my younger brother, yes I do," he spoke in a chilling voice. "Now, you're going to allow my brother access and I in return will do you a favor and pretend your little stunt here never happened."

"Y-yes, of course," the man stammered, stepping aside and ushering Trey in. "Welcome to the party, enjoy your evening."

"Thank you," Trey was just grateful that Quattro hadn't taken it further than he did.

"You're lucky I was there to get you out of that mess," Quattro spoke as soon as the two were alone.

Trey nodded.

"I'm sorry," he uttered.

"Stop apologizing," his brother snapped.

"Oh...sorry," Trey saw the glare his brother wore and hastily added, "I mean alright, I will."

"Good. Now let's go before Quinton tries to pin this whole thing on me."

...

...

Well, I hope everyone liked this. I'll have a few more little updates scattered through the next few days.

It'll be September 1st when I update this one.


	16. Trick-or-Treat

A/N: I know this is late, but I decided to post it anyway. Hope you like it.

_Set pre-canon. Chris is fourteen, Thomas is eleven, and Michael is nine._

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

Christopher Arclight stared at his reflection in the mirror. At fourteen, most would have said he was too old for trick-or-treating. Maybe so. But no ever said anything about being too old to dress up. After all, Thomas and Michael would be disappointed if he had not.

At that moment, his door opened to reveal a small child dressed as a skeleton, followed closely by a child clad in a black frock coat, a red vest, and black dress pants. A black top hat with a red band and white gloves completed the look.

"A puppet again, Thomas?" Chris arched his pale eyebrows. His younger brother seemed to dress as some type of doll, puppet, or something resembling one every year, and had done so for the past three years now.

"I'm a Victorian puppet," Thomas Arclight declared, showing off his attire.

"I thought I'd be something scary this year," Michael said, adjusting his skeleton mask.

Thomas snorted.

"Michael, you'll _never_ be scary," the red-and-yellow-haired boy replied. "Those pink curls and big, innocent eyes, you're too cute to be scary."

Little Michael wasn't sure if he should be flattered, offended, or both.

Chris, who had opted to dress as a vampire that year, turned to his brothers. His long, silvery hair hung down his back over a black cape lined with crimson that matched his white ruffled dress shirt, and black slacks.

"You just wore your dress clothes," Thomas frowned. "All you did was add a cape and fangs. That's not a real costume."

"Yes it is," Michael insisted.

"You two be nice or no trick-or-treating tonight," Chris warned.

Thomas and Michael immediately ceased their bickering.

"Alright, Father will be back late tonight, so when we get back, you two may stay up for half an hour, but then get to bed."

Chris turned his azure gaze onto Thomas, who tried, and failed, to smile innocently.

...

"I heard that one old lady down at the far end of the road is a witch," Thomas said, nodding at the old house in the distance.

All of the other houses in the area, the Arclights' included, had all been decorated for Halloween. This lone house however, had not.

"Maybe because it's already creepy enough on its own," Thomas had remarked earlier that day.

The little red-and-yellow-haired Arclight was now sneering at the house.

"Thomas," Chris scolded. "We don't speak that way."

Thomas frowned.

"Witches don't exist," his older brother chided. "And it's rude to gossip about people that way.

"Ha!" the middle Arclight chuckled. "I'm not afraid of some old witch! And I'll prove it!"

Without warning, the little boy turned and raced down the road, toward the gloomy house.

"Thomas!"

Michael and Chris hurried after him.

"Thomas, stop!" Chris called.

"Come back!" Michael cried.

...

Thomas hurried up the steps on the front porch and knocked on the door.

"Trick-or-Treat!" he called.

A moment later, an old woman with and iron-grey bun and glasses in old-fashioned clothing answered the door.

"My, my, aren't you precious?" she smiled, her amber eyes twinkling. She seemed genuinely pleased to see him.

"Trick-or-Treat," Thomas repeated.

"If you come inside, I can give you a treat from my kitchen," she said, still smiling.

A sinking feeling formed in Thomas's little stomach, but three things prevented him from acting on it. For one thing, he wanted to prove that witch or no witch, he wasn't afraid. Second, his father and brother had always told him to be polite, and third, he just really wanted some candy.

"I used to have a doll when I was a little girl," the woman told him as she led him to the kitchen. "He wore the same thing you have on right now. Right down to the gloves and the hat."

Thomas said nothing as they entered the kitchen and she motioned to the pantry.

As he neared her pantry, the old woman grabbed him and shoved him into the pantry, slamming the door.

Little Thomas pounded on the door and screamed to be let out.

"Let me go!" he cried, remembering the rumors of her being a witch, fueling his terror.

He heard the front door open and then he heard a voice. A boy's voice.

It was Chris!

"Chris! I'm in here! Help!" Thomas screeched.

A second later, the door opened.

Thomas jumped out and raced forward, right into his older brother's arms.

"What's the meaning of this?" Chris demanded, glaring at the old woman, who was now laughing so hard she has to remove her glasses and wipe her eyes.

"I was out of treats," she explained. "So I decided to give him a trick."

Thomas didn't hear what his brother said in reply, but he could tell the older boy was angry. In shock, he followed his brothers from the house.

After they had walked far enough, Thomas, still recovering from the frightening prank, realize something.

"Chris," he said. "I forgot my candy."

...

...

Maybe not my best piece, but I still wanted to do a Halloween piece and while this is late, I still hope everyone liked it.


End file.
